Venetian blind



H. T'. KRAUSE VENETIAN BLIND July 20, 1937.

Filed Aug. 2e, 4'1955 in.. fvvwwwwunnwwuwvwv Patented July 20, -1937 UNITED STATES PATENT i OFFICE 15 Claims.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved fastening means for connecting the suspension straps with the tilt railsl and to provide an improved anchoring means for connecting the pull cords with the lower tilting rail, and to provide a means for this purpose which will be of very simple form, economically manufactured and which will present a neat and attractive appearance, and which will provide for the ready detachment of the suspension straps and pull cords from the respective tilt rails for cleaning or repairs.

A further and important object resides in the provision of improved means whereby the entire Venetian blind assembly is supported in a quickly demountable manner.

The principal feature of the invention resides in the novel provision of lspring holding members having prong portions, which are adapted to be inserted into paired openings formed in the tilt rails under tension, and being connected with the suspension straps and pull cords to removably retain the same in their co-operative assembled relation to the tilt rails.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an elevational view of a Venetian blind installation made in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevational view showing a portion of the upper and lower tilting rails and the manner in which the special spring holding members co-operate with the suspension straps and pull cords to connect these elements with the tilt rails.

Figure 3 is .an enlarged perspective view of one end of the lower tilt rail showing particularly the manner of locking the pull cords thereto.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken across the lower tilt rail at the point of connection of the suspension straps and pull cords therewith, one of the suspension straps being shown disconnected from the rail.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of one of the special spring holding clip members for deltachably connecting the suspension straps with the upper and lower tilt rail.

Figure 6 is a plan View of the preferred form of spring clip element for anchoring the pull cords to the lower tllting'rails. v

Figure 7 is a cross section of a modified form of tilt rail.

Venetian blinds in themselves are quite old and well known, and the principle on which they operate need not be dened herein. E

Many improvements have been made from time to time, both structurally and in regard to the manner of mounting and operating this type of blind, and the present invention proposes very desirable improvements over the structures at present in use.

Referring in general to the structure shown in Figure 1, the usual upper and lower tilt rails I and 2 respectively are shown provided with the usual parallelly spaced vertical suspension straps 3, which carry web portions 3 for'supporting the multiplicity of slats 4. The upper tilt rail l is tiltably mounted in brackets l, .which are secured to the upper Supporting rails 5 and a standard tilting and locking device 6 is incorporated with one of the brackets I and operated by the pull cords l, so that the slats may be tilted to any desired angularity.

Pull cords 8, which are standard equipment,

extend upwardly through one end of the supporting rail 5 and are passed around. pulleys 5 and extend downwardly therefrom and are connected with the lower tilt rails 2.

The present invention is concerned essentially withthe special manner in which the suspension straps 3 and the pull cords 8 are connected with the tilting rail members.

Accordinglyl propose to flexibly anchor the lower looped end 8' of the .pull cord 8 by rst drilling a pair of substantially parallel holes 9 and I0, horizontally inward from the outer edge of the bottom tilt rails 2, the hole 9 being of greater length than the hole l0 and arranged to intersect the usual recess or cavity 8". I then provide a spring clip member formed preferably of a length of spring wire, shown in detail in Figure 6 as bent to substantial U form, having the one end portion considerably longer than the other.

This spring clip element l l'- is of a divergent form, so thatthe longer portion Il is irst inserted a substantial distance into the hole 9 to receive the looped end 8 of the pull cord in the socket, andthe shoulder portion II" is then pressed into substantial parallel relation with the portion Il' to enter the hole lll, and the spring clip elements may then be pressed iirmlyinto position and the tension s'et up therein will effectively hold the same in place.

The endv extremity of the portion Il, is preferably tapered inwardly at an angle to prevent cutting/engagement with the wall of the hole l0 in pressing the same thereinto, and the openings or holes 9 and I0 will be of such size as to provide an easy t for the portions ll' and II" on the clip.

' the rollers 2|.

In Figure 5 there is shown a spring clip element I2 which is of wider U-shaped formation than the member I I, and the prong portions I2 are of substantial bowed formation and these are adapted to enter paired holes I3, which are bored vertically from the upper and lower side of the upper and lower tilt rails I and 2 respectively, the clip elements I2 being first inserted through the looped end I4 of the suspension straps.

On insertion of the bowed prongs I2 in the bored openings I3, the said prongs will be placed under a suflicient tension to effectively retain the clip element and the suspension strap in place, but by simply pulling outwardly on the looped ends of the straps in a direction parallel with the bored openings I3, the clip members I2 may be readily withdrawn, so that the straps thereby `may be readily detached from the tilt rails when desired.

Similarly when it is desired to detach the pull cords 8 from the lower tilt rails, this may be readily accomplished by pulling outwardly on the bowed spring clip member I I a sufficient distance to withdraw the inner end of the portion II' from the looped element 8.

It is extremely desirable that the entire structure be capable of ready demounting, and to this end the upper mounting bar or rail 5 is preferably mounted in any suitable readily detachable manner.

It will be noted particularly on reference to Figure 4 that the vertical pull on the suspension strap 3 will be transmitted at an angle to the inserted holding clip I2, so that the pull will actually tend to draw the holding clip more tightly into place, and it will be noted that the end extremities of the portions I2 are tapered to provide for easy entry.

The holding and fastening means described are of a neat and attractive appearance, and avoid the presence of objectionable bulky clamping or screw held elements or tacks such as are at present in use, and the straps 3 will overlap and hide the holding clips II and substantially cover the clips I2 where they loop therearound.

For certain classes of blind it is found desirable to form the tilt rails of wood and metal to avoid sagging and such a form is shown in Figure 7, in which the rail is formed of two parallelly arranged members I'I each comprising a narrow wood slat I8 having a close tting sheet metal wrapping I9, which is extended outwardly at an angle and doubled back to form the flange I 9. These are spaced apart by members 20 supporting The spring loops I2 arranged in the ends of the straps 3 are secured by having their` spring ends inserted in holes bored vertically through the sheet metal and into the slat I8.

A bar construction such as described is very rigid and my improved form` of fastener for the straps enables them to be very readily attached or detached.

What I claim as my invention is:-

l. In a Venetian blind having a series of tiltable slats the combination with an apertured end rail therefor having a fiat supporting strap for connection therewith, of a substantially U-shaped spring element inserted through the end of said strap and having the free projecting portion extending therebeyond and frictionally entering certain apertures of said end rail.

2. 'Ihe combination with an end rail for Venetian blinds and a supporting strap having a looped ,j extremity, of a length of spring wire inserted through said looped extremity, said rail having paired openings therein and said length of spring wire having the ends turned laterally and frictionally inserted in the paired openings ofv said rail to detachably secure the straps thereto.

3. Means as claimed in claim 2 in which the laterally turned portions of said spring wire are of substantially bowed form and said end rail is initially bored to receive the bowed portions of the spring wire under stress.

4. In a Venetian blind the combination with the lower lifting rail and pull cord, said rail having apertures therein, of a detachable spring holding member for said pull cord, said spring holding member being inserted and retained under stress in certain of the apertures in said rail.

5. The combination with the lower lifting rail of a Venetian blind and a pull cord therefor, of means for detachably connecting said pull cord to said rail, comprising a spring element having divergent end portions, said rail being provided with substantially parallel spaced orifices to receive said divergent end portions under stress, one of said end portions being interlocked with the pull cord element.

6. Means as claimed in claim 5 in which the end portion of said spring element which cooperates with said pull cord element is of considerably greater length than the other end portion, whereby it may be rst entered into interlocked relation with said pull cord element after which the shorter end portion may be pressed into parallel relation with the longer end portion for insertion into its respective orifice.

'7. In a Venetian blind a lift rail formed of flanged sheet metal and reinforcing wood slats having holes therein extending upwardly from the under side, suspension straps, and pronged members secured to said straps and having their prongs removably inserted in said holes.

8. A blind as claimed in claim 7 having the lift rail formed of a pair of parallel slats spaced apart, and sheet metal covers embracing said slats and having lateral looped anges.

9. A blind as claimed in claim 'I' haying the lift rail formed of a pair of parallelly disposed Wood slats, rollers arranged between said slats, sheet metal casings embracing each of said slats and having their upper edges extended outwardly to form anges, the lower edges of said metal casings and the slats having paired holes to receive the spring members secured to the suspension straps.

10. In a Venetian blind the combination with an apertured end rail having flexible suspension elements extending laterally therefrom, of spring-holding members inserted under stress into certain of the apertures in said rail and securing said exible suspension elements to said rail in a readily detachable manner.

11. In a Venetian blind having a series of tiltable slats the combination with an apertured end rail for said series having nat supporting straps extending therefrom, of spring holding members insertable under stress into certain of said apertures and forming detachable connections between the ends of said straps and said end rail.

I2. In a Venetian blind having a series of tiltable slats the combination with an apertured end rail for said series having flat supporting straps extending therefrom, of means interlocked with" said straps and frictionally retained in certain of the apertures of said rail to connect the straps u l v 2,087,629 therewith ina readily detachable inconspicuous manner. y

13. In a Venetian blind the combination with the pull cords thereof and a lower lifting rail formed with apertures therein, of resilient means insertable under stress into detachable holding relation with certain of the apertures to form a readily detachable connection between the pull cords and rail.

14, In a Venetian blind, an end rail having ori-l 15 removably inserted in said orices, said prong membersv and orices being each disposed in a planeextendlng transversely of the normal direction of the pull of the respective flexible sus- 'pension element thereon.

15. In a Venetian blind, an end rail having orices extending thereinto, exible suspension cle-` ments to be connected to said rail, and means for detachably anchoring saidl flexible suspension elements to said end rail including prong members removably inserted in the rail orices and disposed in acute angular relation to the direction of the normal pull of the suspension elements thereon whereby said pull tends to urge the said pronged members into the rail orifices in which they are inserted.

HERMAN T. KRAUSE. 

